The present invention relates generally to hair washing or shampooing devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a portable device which permits washing or shampooing of a person""s hair while the person maintains an inclined or upright position.
Traditional professional washing or shampooing (collectively, xe2x80x9cshampooingxe2x80x9d) of a person""s hair is performed with the use of a contoured sink. This creates a need for the person to approach or position the person""s neck in a neck-receiving portion of the contoured sink. Such positioning typically requires sharp backward bending of the person""s neck. This is often inconvenient, uncomfortable, or impossible, particularly for hospital or nursing home patients with limited mobility. Additionally, such sharp bending of the neck results not only in discomfort due to increased pressure on the neck, but also in restriction of blood flow, e.g. in the vertebral artery, which can result in unconsciousness or a stroke, which is highly undesirable.
A variety of portable shampooing devices are disclosed in the prior art. Some of these, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,742 to Glintz and U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,481 to Nebb, are essentially portable sinks which require a person to assume a reclined or other uncomfortable position, which may be impossible for patients with limited mobility.
Others of these devices permit shampooing in an inclined or upright position. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,551 to Pasquarello discloses a portable shampoo apparatus contoured to fit adjacent a person""s neck and to facilitate the shampooing process. This device is an xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d system in that it causes immediate drainage away from the juncture with the person""s body or hair (hereinafter, the xe2x80x9csealxe2x80x9d) and down a back portion of the device and into a sink. The seal is typically the primary source of leakage. In this manner, water never tends to collect or xe2x80x9cstandxe2x80x9d around the seal with the patient""s head. Such an arrangement is unsatisfactory for patients, such as bedridden patients, who cannot approach a sink. Although this Pasquarello device permits shampooing in the upright position, it is particularly prone to leak and wet the patient""s clothes, which is highly undesirable.
Various xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d system portable devices for facilitating the shampooing process are known for fitting around a patient""s head. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,629 to Barnes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,088 to Stepp and U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,768 to Jarosz, et al. These devices are typically fit around a patient""s head, along or beneath the hairline, and serve to divert water or other liquids away from the patient""s body and clothing. Because of the presence of hair along the hairline, maintaining a proper seal is difficult, so leakage is common. An extremely tight seal may minimize or prevent leakage but may also cause discomfort to the patient and/or inhibit blood flow, which is particularly undesirable. Additionally, such arrangements are typically multi-piece and complex. As mentioned above, such devices are undesirable in some applications because a sink is unavailable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,102 to Louvaris discloses an inflatable device for sealing around a patient""s hairline and neck. This device causes water to flow toward and collect at the seal with the patient""s head/hairline, which tends to cause leakage. The device is essentially an open system, although the water may be collected in a reservoir below the height of the seal, which helps to reduce leakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 121,921 to Winn discloses a complex xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d system device for sealing around a person""s hairline. The xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d system has a drainage tube but acts as a reservoir and causes water to collect around the seal with the patient""s head, which causes leakage. This is ameliorated by use of a supplemental device worn around the patient""s neck to catch leakage from above. This multi-piece, leakage prone device is undesirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,054 to Pasquarello discloses a shampoo device for fitting around a person""s neck. The device fits adjacent the patient""s neck, but has a belt-like closure for looping around the patient""s neck to form a seal. The closure includes a tie string or the like to maintain the seal around the base of the patient""s neck. The device is essentially an open system. However, the design causes water to flow toward the seal at the base of the patient""s neck and collect, which creates a leakage problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,745 to Magee discloses a closed system which acts as a reservoir and does not require a patient to assume a position adjacent a sink. The Magee device is a complex multi-piece system which is coupled with a cape having a drawstring to facilitate a seal around the neck. The cape is fitted around the base of the neck beneath the bowls of the device. The patient must keep constant tension on the drawstrings to prevent leakage. This is undesirable for unconscious patients or patients incapable of maintaining such constant tension, as leakage will result. Alternatively, more than one person would have to participate in the shampooing procedure to ensure that the patient""s clothes remain dry, which is highly undesirable because of the time and costs associated with employing additional personnel to perform the shampooing procedure. Additionally, water is caused to flow toward the seal with the patient""s neck and allowed to collect. This causes a leakage problem. This is ameliorated in part by the provision of a reservoir below the seal with the patient""s neck. However, water in the reservoir makes the device heavy and unstable, which makes it difficult or impossible for patients to support and which increases the risk of water spillage due to instability of the reservoir.
The present invention provides a portable shampooing device including a basin defining a central opening for admitting passage of a human head. The basin also includes a sleeve of elastic, liquid impermeable material defining a first periphery joined to the basin around the opening to form a watertight seal. The sleeve also defines a second periphery smaller than the first periphery for fitting around a human neck, preferably at the chin or just below the chin. Accordingly, the present invention provides a simple, portable shampooing device which fits entirely around the patient""s head and neck. The present invention drastically reduces and/or eliminates leakage by providing a tight seal around any irregular contours of an upper portion of the patient""s neck. This promotes drainage away from the seal with the patient""s body and maintains the seal with the patient""s body above any collected water, which substantially reduces leakage. Additionally, the present invention does not require the patient or the shampoo assistant to exert any effort to maintain the seal, making the device suitable for assistance-free use with unconscious or incapacitated patients.
Any draining water running from the head over the seal with the patient""s body does not cause a significant leakage risk. However, the shampooing device may optionally include a collar joined to the sleeve adjacent the second periphery and having a fastener for securing the collar around the neck. The fastener may include hook and loop material to ensure a tight seal. This further reduces any leakage risk. Additionally, a cushion may optionally be joined to an underside of the basin for distributing the weight of the device along the patient""s neck and/or shoulders. The shampooing device may also include a funnel portion and/or a drainage tube attached to the funnel portion in a closed system embodiment. Alternatively, the device may include a sluice portion in an open system embodiment.